Cardiorespiratory fitness is impaired and predicts mid-term postoperative survival in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm disease

Preoperative cardiopulmonary exercise testing is a standard assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and risk stratification. However, to what extent CRF is impaired in patients undergoing surgical repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) disease and the corresponding implications for postoperative outcome requires further investigation. We measured CRF during an incremental exercise test to exhaustion using online respiratory gas analysis in patients with AAA disease (n = 124, aged 72 +/- 7 years) and healthy sedentary control subjects (n = 104, aged 70 +/- 7 years). Postoperative survival was examined for association with CRF, and threshold values were calculated for independent predictors of mortality. Patients who underwent preoperative cardiopulmonary exercise testing before surgical repair had lower CRF [age-adjusted mean difference of 12.5 ml O-2 kg(-1) min(-1) for peak oxygen uptake (V O2 peak ), P versus control subjects]. After multivariable analysis, both V O2 peak and the ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide at anaerobic threshold (VE/V CO2- AT ) were independent predictors of mid-term postoperative survival (2 years). Hazard ratios of 5.27 (95% confidence interval 1.62-17.14, P = 0.006) and 3.26 (95% confidence interval 1.00-10.59, P = 0.049) were observed for VO2 peak V E/V CO2- AT >= 34, respectively. Thus, CRF is lower in patients with AAA, and those with a V O2 peak V E/V CO2- AT >= 34 are associated with a markedly increased risk of postoperative mortality. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that CRF can predict mid-term postoperative survival in AAA patients, which may help to direct care provision.